Hermione Granger and the Green Eyed Witch
by Fae Anna
Summary: Hermione has known about her feelings for her professor since her third year, but will she ever be able to tell the women? Is it possible for the green eyed witch to ever feel the same? Minerva/Hermione (because there aren't enough stories with this pairing) Rated T for now...
1. Chapter 1

**_AN: This idea has been in my head for months so I've decided to try this out. Please remember I am new to writing and will probably never be as good as most of you._**

**_Disclaimer: Sadly I own nothing._**

Hermione stood staring out the window of the Gryffindor common room in the early hours of the morning thinking about what was to come; it frightened her to know she might not live to see the end of this war. She would not be returning to Hogwarts for the following school year, for she would instead be helping Harry hunt down horcruxes. As her eyes roamed over the Hogwarts grounds she watched a silver tabby walk along the Black Lake, the cat then changed into a women who stood staring out across the lake. Seeing the woman her thoughts shifted, there was a possibility she would never see her professor again after this year. At that thought tears slowly welled up in her eyes, her feelings for her professor had steadily grown over the years. It had all started in her third year as a silly school girl crush, but no longer could it be consider as such. It was more now, much stronger and deeper. She thought back on when she first realized she had feelings for the women, her eyes slowly closed as the memories all came back.

_ The summer before Hermione's third year was a busy one. She had wanted to take as many classes as possible next year, and after speaking with her Head of House, McGonagall approved. Her professor signed papers and sent letters to the Ministry requesting a time turner for her. The Ministry had granted the request after seeing how high her academic levels were, though Hermione would still need to fill out some paperwork. When she had been sent all the papers, it all became a bit overwhelming. So when Professor McGonagall showed up at her door to help she had not only been surprised but extremely grateful, McGonagall greeted her parents and then started to help her. They had talked about Transfiguration and the upcoming school year, and McGonagall had even joked with her about how interesting Care of Magical Creatures was sure to be that year with Hagrid teaching it. They wrote with ink and quills and Hermione accidently got some on her hand; after a while she put her head in her hand not thinking about the ink on it, when she removed her hand there where black smudges on her cheek. When McGonagall noticed she started laughing, the noise was slightly strange though from trying to contain it. Hermione look up with wide eyes wondering what was going on with her professor; she having never seen her usually serious professor laugh was very intrigued, she found herself wanting to see more of this side of the professor. After calming down her professor informed her of the ink on her cheek, causing Hermione to blush, she quickly rubbed it off. They went back to talking about all the classes Hermione would be taking that year, and soon after McGonagall decided it was time to leave. Even though she only saw Professor McGonagall one time after that she was once again shown the other side of the women. Hermione couldn't get her mind off her, the visit leaving her wanting more. School started back soon enough and she could hardly hold in the excitement of being back, and seeing her professor again._

_ After Dumbledore's speech Professor McGonagall led Hermione and Harry out of the Great Hall and into her office, where she had Harry examined by Madame Pomfrey. After having Harry looked at by Poppy she sent them both away, but told Hermione to remain. The professor opened a desk drawer and took out the time turner, handing it to her, she carefully took it. McGonagall explained how to use it, and made her swear to tell no one, when she finished Hermione looked up and thanked her. Seeing pride and warmth in her professor's eyes she couldn't help it, she hugged the women. The women seemed surprised at first but wrapped her arms around her nonetheless, and in that moment Hermione realized she had developed a crush on her professor._

When Hermione came out of her memories she noticed the sky had lightened and Minerva had long since come back in, she sighed, having only gotten a few hours of sleep she was still tired. She knew sleep would not come to her though even if she tried, she had too much stress and worry in her life to properly sleep. Thankfully exams were over with and she had managed to pull through them, though she wasn't sure she could say the same about Harry and Ron. The two had been very quiet the last week, which of course was not surprising, they had both been through a lot. Ron was worrying about his brother Bill, as it was still not know how he would be affected by the full moon, and knowing he would be leaving his family soon for an undefined amount of time. Harry was still dealing with Dumbledore's death and Snape's betrayal, both of which he was taking very badly, it seemed he had come to trust the dark man and was still shocked about what Snape had done.

Hermione was of course worried deeply for both her friends, but if she were being honest she was worried more for Harry than she was for Ron. She knew Ron would get through his current worries, and start to act like himself eventually. Harry had been through more than most though and she was worried he would reach a breaking point soon, and snap. She didn't know how to help him and it frustrated her, but no matter how long it took she would stay by his side. He had been more withdrawn than usual and didn't talk unless it was necessary, he could be found wondering Hogwarts at all hours of the night and day with an empty look in his eyes. It all made Hermione wonder how they would ever make it through this war with their minds and bodies in one piece.

**_Well there's the first chapter, reviews on how I could improve would be most appreciated. -Fae_**


	2. Chapter 2

_**AN: You would never believe how excited I was to see how many people had viewed this story. Special thanks to those who reviewed the first chapter, it was very kind of you.**_

_**Disclaimer: Things would've been very different if I owned anything.**_

It was Saturday afternoon, and Hermione finally decided that even though she didn't feel up to it she had to see Minerva. Usually by this time she'd be quickly getting ready to leave for her weekly meeting with the women, but this would be the first meeting they'd have since Dumbledore's death; which had only been a few days ago. She wasn't sure if her professor would even want to see her; Minerva had not been attending meals and had only been seen outside her rooms during Dumbledore's funeral. The women was worrying Hermione, she had never seen her professor act like this, that's why she knew she just had to go to the meeting. She slipped her shoes on and started to head to Minerva's rooms on the first floor of the DADA Tower, taking her time as she walked the halls of Hogwarts.

She would always consider the castle her home, but after everything that had happened here the castle felt different. She remembered in her first year as they went across the Black Lake the awe and wonder she'd felt when she first saw the school, never had she seen a more magnificent place. Though the ancient school now felt dour, dark, and dreary. There were still parts of the castle that felt warm and magical, the corridor she now walked down was one of those places, and at the end of it was the door to Minerva's rooms. As she approached the door she prepared herself knowing this could be their last meeting ever, the students would be leaving the following Friday for summer, she lightly knocked. Hearing no answer she whispered the password, "Ginger-newts" and quietly entered.

Minerva's office was a small room, with a desk, a fireplace, and bookshelves that were filled with books. Her professor did most of her work in her classroom, that's also were she held most of her meetings with students. Their meetings had originally started in Minerva's classroom as private lessons in the middle of her first year, in her fourth year they became academic discussions in her office. Last year they finally became long conversations over tea in Minerva's private rooms, were they talked about anything and everything. They had gotten close and had formed a strong friendship, where they could be themselves and not have to act like student and teacher; they even called each other by their first names in private. The only one bad thing that came with their friendship was that now that they were close Hermione had an even harder time keeping her feelings secret, she'd almost let it slip a few times, and she didn't even want to think about what the woman would have done if she had.

Hermione called out to her professor, "Minerva, are you in here?" She walked over to a bookcase and said the password to Minerva's private rooms located beyond the office. "Tabby" the bookcase moved and behind it was a set of stairs leading up to a door, when she reached the top of the stairs she knocked. Hearing nothing she opened the door, she looked around, Minerva's private rooms had several rooms; a living room, a small kitchenette, a study, a master bed and bath room, and a guest bathroom. The living room had a huge fireplace with two large brown armchairs in front of it, there was a bookcase beside it, and near the chairs a small table. The room had hints of gold and red in it, and the only light came from the candles that were lit up throughout the room.

As she looked around she noticed Minerva sitting in one of the armchairs, looking down at her hands, tears slowly dripping down her face. "Minerva" she softly called, trying not to startle the women. Minerva quickly turned around, "Hermione, what are you doing here? Has something happened?" She walked over and kneeled down in front of Minerva, taking her hands into her own. "Nothing's wrong, I came over for tea, it's Saturday." She sat on the arm of the chair and pulled Minerva into an embrace, holding the woman close and stroking her back. "Oh, I'd forgotten the day, I'm sorry you have to see me like this." She said as she started to wipe the tears, Hermione stopped her, "Its fine, it's good not to hold it all in, you have to let it out. I know how close you were with Dumbledore, and how hard this must all be for you. If you need to talk I'll always be here to listen." She felt more tears start running down the women's face, and could tell another bout of tears were on their way. "H-he was my mentor and my friend, he taught m-me everything, and I don't know how we'll manage w-without him, Hermione." She said starting to sob harder, "H-how am I-I supposed to f-fill in hi-is p-place? W-what wi-ill we d-do without h-him? " Her arms wrapped around Hermione, pulling her down into the chair with her. Hermione just held her, whispering soothing words, and petting her, until Minerva drifted off to sleep.

Nothing like this had ever happened between them before, it surprised Hermione seeing her like this, but she felt honored that Minerva trusted her enough to break down in front of her. And now here she was sleeping in her arms, something she had believed would never happen. Hermione looked her over, her hair was down from its usual bun and she was wearing a gown. The gown had a V-neck that showed off some cleavage, it also showed off the scars Minerva had from getting hit by four stunners. That was the day she realized just how much her feelings had grown for the woman.

_ Hermione had been taking her O.W.L exam in Astronomy when she noticed Harry staring down over the grounds, as she looked down towards Hagrid's hut she saw Umbridge with several Aurors. Umbridge was talking to the half-giant, while the Aurors had their wands pointed up at him. Hermione felt her rage build as she realized they were going to force Hagrid to leave the school, and it was only because he was a half-giant. She saw Professor McGonagall come running up to the Aurors, reaching for her wand, "Its McGonagall!" she yelled, and by this point everyone was looking to see what was going on. Suddenly Umbridge pointed at Minerva and four stunners were fired at her chest. As they hit her Hermione started to scream, Minerva lay motionless on the ground as Hagrid tried to attack the Aurors. She felt her world falling apart as her professor lay on the ground, seemingly dead, she started crying. Poppy rushed out and levitated Minerva into Hogwarts, __she returned to here exam knowing she'd have to wait._

_ As soon as she could she rushed to the Hospital Wing, as she entered she saw Madame Pomfrey working on Minerva casting spells and giving her potions. She went over and quietly sat on the bed next to the one her professor was in, she saw the woman's chest slowly rise and fall, and felt relief. At that moment she realized how much the women meant to her, how much she'd grown to care for her, and how close she'd been to losing her. Then another thought slapped her in the face, she loved the woman, loved her with all her heart. When Poppy finished she turned to Hermione, "Will she be ok?" She asked afraid of the answer. "It's a wonder she's alive after four hits, I've never known anyone to survive two. I'll be having her moved to St. Mungos, so I'm not sure yet if she'll be ok." Poppy told her, the nurse quickly left the rooms. Hermione's eyes filled with tears, she got up and went over to look at the injured women. "You have to get through this, you just have to. I don't know what I'd do without you." _

Hermione looked down at the woman currently in her arms; she pecked the top of her head, cast mobilicorpus and took her to her bedroom where she laid her down on her bed. 'Will you ever know just how much I care for you?' she wondered. She kissed the sleeping woman's forehead and whispered, "I love you." She then headed back for her common room, she once again thought that might have been the last time they would be alone with each other.

_**There's the second ch**__**apter, it's a bit longer than the first. Remember I love getting reviews from all of you, thanks! -Fae**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**AN: Here's chapter 3, it's here a little later than I had wanted it to be, I've been working on it every day anytime I have time, but life does seem to like getting in the way! Once again thank you all for the reviews, and please keep them coming! **_

_**Disclaimer: The wonderful world of Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, who is sadly not me.**_

Hermione had all her belongings packed and already on the Hogwarts Express, and at the moment she was walking around trying to memorize everything she could about the Hogwarts grounds. It was a warm day and there were many students outside enjoying the weather, she currently found herself outside walking along the edge of the Forbidden Forrest. The week had passed by fast and she couldn't believe she only had a few hours left until the train left. She'd been debating with herself over something and didn't know what to do; she really wanted to tell Minerva she wouldn't be returning next year, but was afraid the boys wouldn't agree. They were still unaware of her feelings for the women and her real preferences. Really the only reason she hadn't told them was she thought they wouldn't take it well, and they'd decide to leave her behind.

Despite this though Hermione still wanted Minerva know of their plan, she'd been thinking of ways to convince Harry that they could trust Minerva and they should have her help. She really believed they'd need it; they still weren't sure where they were going, staying, or how they'd find the horcruxes. As she made her way toward the Black Lake she saw the two boys she'd been thinking about sitting under a tree together looking out over the waters. She made up her mind, knowing this would be her last chance, and headed towards them. They look up as she approached and made room for her to sit, their gazes returning to the lake as she sat beneath the tree.

"Ron, Harry we need to talk." They turned to her, both looking confused. "I think someone should know about the mission." She said getting straight to the point, Ron gave her a confused look while Harry turned defensive. "Hermione you know we can't let anyone know, it's just too big of a risk for us and the hunt." Harry said, "Yeah Hermione, why take any chances?" Ron added. Hermione looked down, angry, and trying to hide the hurt their harshness caused. "I wouldn't have suggested it unless I thought it would help, we'll have to have someone helping us while we're searching." She whispered. Harry took a deep breath, calming down a bit. "I know 'Mione, but who could we ask, is there anyone we can really trust?" He closed his eyes and leaned back against the tree. Hermione looked up, getting a little hopeful. "There is someone we could trust, they'd even be able to get us information." She paused, making sure they were paying attention. "Professor McGonagall."

Harry opened his eyes, sitting up. He was quiet for a moment, seeming to consider her idea. "I should't have doubted you Hermione, as always you're right. I'm sorry we were both so quick to disagree." He said looking at her while Ron nodded. "How will we ask her, and what about communicating while we're away?" Hermione of course had already thought about all this and figured everything out, she'd decided the safest way would be to use a spell she'd once read about. She'd only have to cast the spell and say Minerva's name, the spell would allow her to speak to and see the woman.

Minerva would be able to do the same, but no one else would even notice they were talking. It reminded her of the mirror Sirius had given Harry, though the spell was more discreet. "I forgive you both, and I'll tell her everything she needs to know." Hermione said, relieved they all agreed. Harry nodded, "OK, but don't tell her about the horcruxes please." Hermione gave them both a side-hug, which they returned, and then stood. "Fine, I won't." She said before making her way towards the castle. She didn't appreciate the way she was being treated, but she understood why they were acting this way, and so she was willing to forgive.

She quickly made her way to Minerva's office and, after knocking lightly on the door, hears the woman tell her to enter. As she opens the door she can see Minerva sitting at her desk writing, the woman doesn't even look up as Hermione comes to stand behind her. Hermiome silently looks the beautiful woman over, her hair the darkest ebony and not a single streak of grey. Her skin being the opposite an almost flawless creamy white, with only a few wrinkles around her eyes and mouth. Hermione knew that under those loose teaching robes there was a slim and curvy body, and while Hermione was only 5' 5'' Minerva was around 5' 9''. And though Hermione couldn't see her eyes at the moment she knew they the most beautiful shade of green, while Harry's were a bright emerald color Minerva's were a dark forest green. Overall Minerva McGonagall was the most beautiful woman she'd ever seen. She could easily pass for a much younger woman, though Hermione knew she was in her early sixties; but it was well known that wizards and witches did age slower than muggles.

As Minerva finished writing she stood, turning to see who was there. Hermione snapped out of her thoughts, and looked down trying to hide her blush of embarrassment. Minerva, upon seeing who her visitor was, smiled wide and pulled her into a tight hug. "Hermione darling what are you doing here, would you like to join me for tea in my rooms?" She asked, Hermione nodded against her shoulder, and with one last squeeze the hug ended. she followed Minerva up into her sitting room, and as she sat down in what she considered to be 'her' chair Minerva went over to the kitchenette and started making tea for them both. Hermione sat quietly looking around the room, and she noticed the candles that had been the only source of light during her last visit were all out.

Instead Minerva had all the windows and curtains opened. Allowing light to flooded the room, and a nice summer breeze to blow in. Hermione also noticed items she knew had once belonged to Dumbledore now decorated the room, and the bookshelves in the room were crammed even further with books. The reminders of the man saddened her, though she was glad he'd left some things to Minerva. Hermione was brought back from her thoughts be the whistling of a teapot, and soon after Minerva returned with two steaming cups tea. She set the cups on a nearby table before sitting in the other armchair, "How are you dear, what brings you to my rooms on the last day?" she asked as she picked up a cup, passing one to her. Hermione took it with a smile, bringing the cup closer to her face, inhaling the smell. "I'm fine Minerva, but I have something very important to tell you." she said.

She sipped her tea, noticing it was her favorite, Earl Grey. It was made just the way she liked it, with milk and a spoonful of sugar. It warmed her heart that Minerva remembered little things like that about her, and she could remember similar things about Minerva, like how she took her tea with only milk. Minerva straightened in her chair, looking concerned. "What is it my dear?" she asked, Hermione took a deep breath. "Harry, Ron, and I will not be returning next year." She look at Minerva, wondering what her reaction would be. Minerva looked surprised, then upset. "What! Not returning to Hogwarts?" The woman got up and came to stand in front of her before crouching down and putting her hands on top of Hermione's knees. "But you must return Hermione, it will be your seventh year! You can't give up now." She sounded very worried. Hermione put her hands over Minerva's and squeezed, hoping to calm the woman. "I have to Minerva, you know I wouldn't unless I did! Dumbledore left Harry a mission, and I refuse to leave his side. You could help us, and get us any information we might need."

She hoped she was not asking too much of the woman, but with everything going on she knew they'd need her. "I would do anything for you Hermione, but how would I do that? And why would Professor Dumbledore leave something like that to you three?" Minerva said getting more upset by the minute. "Harry has to do this and Ron and I refuse to let him go on his own." She look into Minerva's eyes, giving the woman a moment to calm down. "I've read of a spell we could use, it would give us a mental connection that would allow us to communicate with each other. We would be able to continue our weekly meetings." Minerva sighed, looking down at their joined hands. "Won't you at least tell me what it is Dumbledore is having you all do?" she asked. Hermione sadly shook her head, "I'm sorry, but I can't" she whispered. Minerva nodded, "I expected as much." she said looking back up at her. "Well, I guess I don't really have a choice, I will help you." Minerva smiled up at her. "Thank you." She said, returning the smile with her own bright one. Minerva stood, cupping Hermione's face in one hand and running the other through Hermione's wavy, honey brown, hair. She leaned it the soft touch, resisting the urge to kiss the woman's palm. Minerva stopped her petting, giving her cheek a quick pat before she returned to her chair.

Hermione, after snapping out of the daze the woman put her in, then started to teach Minerva the spell. Of course, since it was Minerva, there wasn't much that needed to be taught. Afterwards they enjoyed their tea and talked, setting up meetings for the summer. Before long, Hermione, noticing the time, realized the train would be departing soon. She stood "It's almost time for the train to leave, I must get going." she said, sad she would have to leave. She placed her teacup on the table and gathered her things. Minerva stood, "I'll walk with you." she said, smiling sadly. They walked close together, neither breaking the silence between them. They arrived at the platform, Hermione turned to say goodbye to Minerva, ignoring the students all around them boarding the train.

As she turned Minerva quickly pulled her into a hug, wrapping her arms tightly around her. Hermione quickly returned the hug, holding the woman close. "I'll talk to you soon." she murmured into Minerva's neck. "Ay, goodbye my dear." Minerva whispered in her ear, giving her goosebumps. She released her from the hug, looking into her eyes, Minerva looked like she might cry. They shared one last smile before Hermione walked past her and boarded the train, she quickly found her friends and sat beside the window. As she looked out onto the platform she spotted Minerva, and stood to wave. Minerva saw her and waved back, as the train started moving she continued to wave until Minerva was out of sight. She sat back down feeling better about their situation, knowing Minerva would be there for her made her feel less anxious about the whole thing. The trip to King's Cross was a quiet one, with Harry staring out the window while Ron picked at the seat cushions. Hermione didn't notice though, she was busy with thoughts of a beautiful green eyed witch and an upcoming mission.

_**Well I decided to take tlc125's advice and add more to this chapter, thanks again! Please feel free to give me your opinion about the changes, thank you all for continuing to read this story! -Fae**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**AN: In case you didn't know I took tlc125's advice, and added more detail to chapter 3. There were no major plot changes, but it did improve the chapter, if you didn't see it make sure to go back. Thanks again tlc125! **_

It had been a week since Hermione had left Hogwarts, and she had spent that time at her home in London. Almost every day she would have a meeting with Minerva using the mind connection spell, both witches having easily perfected it. She was also spending her time preparing for the upcoming mission, which was really stressing her out. But having Minerva there had hugely helped, she was very understanding of Hermione's stress. Their meetings started early, and would usually last a few hours; as they would talk for hours about the hunt, making plans and discussing what Hermione should bring.

When they had first started talking about it that had led to one of the first problems of how Hermione was to fit everything into one bag; Minerva had quickly come up with a solution. A few days later Hermione received a small package from Minerva and carefully opened it, inside was a small, purple, beaded handbag. Minerva had placed an undetectable extension charm on it, and had put supplies in it. Hermione was deeply touched by the wonderful gift, knowing how much time the women must have spent with the charm work, and was sure to thank Minerva during their next meeting. It made her happy that the woman was there to help her prepare for the upcoming journey. For that, would not be the only time Minerva would offer the solution to a problem.

Hermione had also been studying all the books she could find that mentioned horcruxes, but was having trouble learning anything about them. The only thing most would say is they are dark items that were created by Herpo the Foul, who was the only know person to have successfully made one. Not happy with the small amount of information the books gave her she had gone searching for the book _Secrets of the Darkest Arts,_ which was said to go into great detail about horcruxes; telling exactly what they were, how to create them, and destroy them. Her search had led to nothing but dead ends. Until she had learned of its last known location, which was the restricted section of the Hogwarts library, and realized Dumbledore must have hidden it somewhere. But, unable to go searching Hogwarts for it she decided to ask Minerva about some of the books she'd noticed in the women's rooms.

And so during their one of their meeting she gently asked Minerva about the books that were left to her by Dumbledore, hoping she would not be upsetting the woman by bringing up the dead man. Minerva gave Hermione a questioning look, but thankfully didn't seem upset, and started to name out all the books to her. When she called out the book Hermione was looking for, Hermione almost threw her hands up in success. Since she did not want the intelligent woman to be too suspicious, she asked to borrow all the books. Minerva seemed surprised but after a moment of consideration she agreed, and the next day Hermione received all the books in one big box.

She read over all the books in the box and put the useful ones in her beaded bag, sending the others back to Minerva with a small thank you note, she then started carefully reading through _Secrets of the Darkest Arts, _it was a big book with a dark cover and thin pages yellowed from age. She would get a bad feeling anytime she opened it and was careful to only read the section on horcruxes, as she did not want to learn any of the books other dark spells. Afterwards though she wished she had not read any of it, as it did indeed go into great detail about horcruxes, and had every step necessary for making a horcrux. It talked of very dark and gruesome acts and spells that almost had her throwing up. She was unable to understand how anyone could ever go through with any of it, especially more than once.

Hermione had put the book with the others in her bag in case they would need it, and had started gathering other things they would need. Food, water, clothing, medical supplies, potions, books, and camping equipment were all things she had put in the bag. Everything easily fit, and still left room for other things. She knew there were other things she would need, things she couldn't get right then. Some she would have to wait till she next saw Ron and Harry to get.

Right now she still had a week to get everything sorted until she went to the Burrow for Bill and Fleur's wedding, one of these things was what to do with her parents. Hermione, at the moment, was reading yet another article in the Daily Prophet about missing and dead muggleborns and their families as she sat on the sofa. Her parents sat watching the news on their television, not paying attention to what she was reading. She knew her parents weren't safe, she knew death eaters would torture them for information on her. But she was unsure of what she could do to protect them; not knowing where would be a safe place for them to go.

She decided she would talk to Minerva about the problem during the meeting they'd be having in a few minutes, she put the paper away and got up from the sitting room sofa to get ready for the meeting. "I'll be in my room working on a paper, please don't disturb me." She said as her mum and dad looked up. They nodded, smiling at their daughter, and then returned to watching TV. She walked out of her small room, walking to the other side of the house. Heading down a hallway on the first floor, she entered her bedroom.

The room was spacious and the walls and flooring were a light lavender color. The room only had one window with dark purple curtains, which were pulled back to be the only source of light in the room. The window had a desk and chair in front of it, on the desk there sat potted plants, a lamp, and other little decorations. There were three bookcases, one tall one to the left and two short ones to the right of the window, all filled with books. Though there were some gaps were books, she currently had in her bag, had once been. There were framed pictures of flowers hanging on the walls, and a noticeboard filled with pictures she'd taken during all her travels around the world. In the corner there was a light blue armchair, and on the other side of the room a small bed and nightstand.

Hermione walked over to the blue chair and sat, as she look at the time she saw it was almost time, and started to cast the spell. She closed her eyes softly whispering, "Minerva Gaea McGonagall." She opened her eyes, her room fading away, and after a moment the older women's face came into focus. Minerva smiled at her, wearing only her black inner robes that clung to her more than her usually, loose, green, outer robes. Her hair was done in a braid, thrown over one shoulder, and going down her front. Her eyes were warm and kind, she also wasn't wearing the gold rimmed glasses she sometimes wore. She was sitting at the desk in her study; it seemed she had been doing paperwork for the upcoming school year, something she had more to do of now that she was to be the headmistress.

"Hello Hermione, how are you?" the lovely woman asked, tucking her wand back into her robes. Hermione put away her own wand and answered the woman, "I'm fine Minerva, and how are you today?" She asked, going through the pleasantries before getting down to business. "I'm doing well, thank you my dear. Are you sure you're fine, you seem as though something is bothering you?" Minerva asked, of course she had caught on that there was something wrong. Hermione sighed, "Yes you're right I'm not fine, I'm worried." Minerva's eyebrows knitted together in concern. "It's my parents I know they're in danger, I need to hide them, but I don't know where or how! I thought maybe I could obliviate them and send the out of the country, but if I do I'll never be able to return their memories!" She said upset and unsure of what to do. Minerva had a look of deep thought on her face, "You could use a false memory charm on them, which could later be removed," she slowly suggested, "and make them want to move out of the country." She said, Hermione carefully consider it, and then started nodding and smiling. Knowing she was, of course, correct. "You're right, I could. I'll remove their memories of me, have them move, and give them false identities. And when Voldemort is gone I'll find them and restore the memories."She said happy Minerva was, once again, able to come up with a solution.

"The only problem is how can I get them false identities?" She asked. "Leave that to me, I can get that set up." Minerva said. Hermione gave her a questioning look, but nodded. The conversation continued for another hour until Hermione remember Minerva probably had things to get done. "I should go and eat, but I'll talk to you in a few days." She said Minerva nodded. "You're right, I too am getting hungry." She said.

"Just one last thing though before we go, promise me something." Hermione said, turning very serious. Minerva gave her a strange look, "Anything, darling." She softly said Hermione took a deep breath. "If it so happens that I don't live to see the end of this war, promise me you'll find my parents restore their memories, and tell them what has happened to me." She said Minerva turned solemn, looking almost mad. "Don't say such things Hermione, of course you'll live, you must! I won't promise such silly things!" She said voice rising and becoming shrill, she had a panicked look on her face. "Please Minerva, promise me." Hermione pleaded, her face was desperate. Minerva's eyes were shining with unshed tears, she looked like she would break down at any moment.

Minerva took a deep breath, "Fine, I promise, goodbye." She forcefully whispered, quickly trying to get the words out. She was obviously having trouble, and was trying to end the conversation. Hermione had not meant to make her cry, "I'm sorry Minerva, I didn't mean to upset you. Please believe me, goodbye." She said Minerva looked at her. "I forgive you." She quietly said before pulling her wand out and ending the connection. Hermione's bedroom came back into sight and she sighed, that meeting had ended horribly. She felt terribly guilty and selfish for making Minerva promise such a thing, she hoped Minerva had really forgiven her. She had to make sure her parents would get their memories back, and she trusted Minerva to make sure it would happen.

She got up and headed downstairs to eat lunch, hoping their next meeting would go better. She'd also decided to try spending as much time with her parents as she could from now until she left, not knowing when she'd next see them, if she ever saw them again that is.

_**Hope you enjoyed this chapter; please let me know your thoughts on it, what you liked or didn't like. Thank you for the reviews, follows, and favorites, keep them coming! -Fae**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**AN: Thank you all, I love getting reviews from all of you, your kind words always brighten my day! I know I'm not the best writer ever, but maybe by the end of this story I'll be better than I was at the start. **_

It was Hermione's last day home, she'd spent most of the week with her parents, going out and enjoying the time she had left with them. They'd picnicked on the Thames River, explored the Kew Gardens, toured the Tower of London, and visited the English countryside, all things they hadn't done since Hermione was small. They'd all had a great time with each other, and she wished they could spend that much time with each other every day. But she now only had an hour till she left for the Burrow, where she would be staying until her and the boys left. She had finished putting away all of her personal belongings from her room, banishing them to, hopefully, be summoned back again one day. Her room was now empty of all her things, except for the furniture, and now looked like a guestroom, making it feel very bare.

Thinking of all this, as she finished packing her bags, she steeled herself, getting ready, preparing herself for what she'd have to do next. She'd been delaying things, knowing what would happen when she entered the sitting room, but the article about a murdered muggle family in front of her strengthened her resolve. She would have to cast a false memory charm on her parents, removing all the memories they had, and give them the desire to move. She would then proceed to remove any over evidence of her existence from their lives, making sure they wouldn't know anything about her. All of which she knew would ensure them a safe, new, life.

She had decided Australia would be the best location to send them, it was a beautiful place. It was far enough away from the war, and attacks, that she wouldn't have to worry about death eaters finding them. Her mum had always shown an interest in taking a family vacation there, as it was one of the continents they'd never been to. There were many places, such as museums and beaches, to visit. Her parents would have plenty of new places to tour and explore.

Minerva had been a big help, in sorting out everything, and getting her parents their new identities. They were now officially Wendell and Monica Wilkins, a married couple who planned to set up a dentist office in Canberra, Australia's capital. Hermione was thankful that she'd know where they were, after the war they'd be easier to locate. She'd only have to find their address, instead of their city or country. And she knew while they were there they sure to have a nice, peaceful, life.

She was still unsure how Minerva had gotten everything setup, her connections with the muggles had surprised Hermione. As it turned out the woman was actually a half-blood, and understood the muggle world more than most magical folks. Minerva's father, Robert, had been a muggle Presbyterian minister, while her mother, Isobel, was a witch. Minerva had never brought up much about her family during their discussions, though Hermione had told her much about her own. She'd only known Minerva had grown up on the outskirts of Caithness in the Scottish Highlands, and had two younger brothers, Malcolm and Robert Jr., who both had children of their own.

Though Hermione had learned much about the women's history during their meetings, things had become strained over the week, as it seemed the woman had not totally forgiven her. Minerva would go from nice and calm, to suddenly snapping out and getting frustrated. During their last few talks though the woman had stayed quiet for the most part, and when she did talk, she seemed to avoid conversations about the mission and the promise she'd made. She knew the later was what was bothering Minerva, but she wasn't sure how to bring it up with the woman. She didn't want to further upset her, so she was unsure whether to say anything at all on the matter.

Hermione still felt guilty about the promise, but when she'd insisted on it she had only wanted to make sure her parent were in safe hands. She was also trying to be more realistic about the situation, as there was a big possibility that she might die during the war. Out of everyone she knew if she was going to trust anyone with the tasks of returning her parent's memories Minerva was the person to do it, the woman would never break a promise. She trusted the boys of course, but Ron and Harry really were in as much danger as her, though Harry was probably in more, being who he was. She didn't like thinking about it but she knew Minerva was also in danger, as a powerful witch of the light she was sure to be a target.

She didn't think she could handle losing Minerva, and would probably follow after her if she didn't make it. She believed; if it did so happen that neither of them survived to retrieve her parents, they'd be better off not knowing about her or their past anyway. They would be able to happily live, blissfully unaware of what they'd lost. But, honestly, she wasn't comfortable with the thought that they might never know of her existence.

With these thoughts in mind she was suddenly brought back to the present by her mum, "Mione, teas ready darling." She called, "Coming mum." Her voice shook, wavering slightly. She took a deep breath, getting ready for what was about to happen. With wand in hand she headed to the sitting room, her parents sat watching a show on TV about, ironical enough, Australia. She quietly raised her wand and cast the charm, slowly removing and replacing all their memories. Her parents sat there, in a daze, as she removed all evidence of herself from their lives.

She slowly came around the couch, tears in her eyes, and hugged them both. "I love you both so much, and I'll miss you tremendously." She choked out, tears running down her cheeks. Her crying worsened when, as she sat there hugging them, they didn't respond, as they were still adjusting to the spell. She got up, quickly grabbing her things, and walked out the door with her beaded bag in hand, not daring to look back for fear of a complete break down. When she was in a safe, out of sight, place she took a moment to dry her tears and calm down, before apparating away to the Burrow.

_**Sorry for the break and short chapter, but I've been busy with life and just had to get something out. Please tell me about any mistakes, I scanned over it but I'm only half awake, so it's possible for something to be spelled wrong or worded weirdly. Love you all! -Fae**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**AN: Just wanted you all to know that, if you haven't caught on yet, I'm trying to follow Minerva's backstory as closely as I can. Though there are some changes to help fit the story, make sure to let me know if you ever notice any major differences that don't seem to fit. Thanks for the reviews!**_

Hermione appeared in the marshy fields near the Burrow, it was a cloudy day in Ottery St. Catchpole in Devon, England. The sun could not be seen behind the clouds, and the wind was whipping through her hair, getting in her face. She could tell it was about to storm and started toward the Burrow, knowing if she didn't hurry she'd get soaked, but by this point she didn't really care. As she made her way out of the tall fields she came to the edge of a large pond, on the other side she could see the lights of the Burrow, as she looked at the water's surface she could see small raindrops rippling the surface. She heard thunder claps and could see lightning flashing in the distance

She wished she could just stand here and watch the storm alone, but she knew they'd be worried if she was late. She wasn't ready to face them all, act normal, pretend like nothing was wrong. When at the moment she just wanted to scream, and let out all of the sadness. Her vision started to blur as tears slipped down her cheeks, her eyes were still puffy and red, but she couldn't stop the tears. She felt light-headed as she started hyperventilating, and carefully lowered herself to the ground, sitting in the wet grass.

The rain slowly worsened as she sat there, for what felt like forever, letting out her anguish. But her tears eventually slowed, before coming to a stop, and her breathing returned to normal. She wiped away the tears, feeling slightly better, and cast a glamour charm over her puffy, red, face. She stood and walked around the pond to the Weasley's, hoping there wouldn't be too many people there. She was hoping to be left alone, but knowing the Weasleys the house would be packed, though there was still another week till the wedding.

The only person she wanted to talk to at the moment was Minerva, but they hadn't planned a meeting for today. And even if they had, Minerva was upset with her. She knew Minerva would eventually understand her insistence, and forgive her, or at least she hoped. But until then Hermione would try to apologize, and avoid talking about death. She was starting to consider sending the women a message asking for a meeting today, but didn't want to keep the women from her work. She sighed, trying to stop thinking of Minerva, as she continued walking.

She reached the garden of the Burrow, wet from the rain, and starting to notice how cold she was. As she'd approached she felt the wards of the house surround her, and saw Mrs. Weasley looking out the window. She tried to smile at her, but the woman had quickly left the window and was soon standing at the door waiting for her with Ron behind her. As she reached the door Mrs. Weasley pulled her inside with a worried look on her face. Hermione knew she would have to wait to escape, and just hoped this would be quick.

"Hermione dear, you're completely soaked!" the women whipped out her wand and cast a drying spell over her. "Ronald, fix her a cup of tea." She ordered without even looking at him, Ron frowned but quickly went to do as he was told. She looked around the kitchen; there were pots on the stove, as it seemed they'd started making dinner, and for a big amount of people. Ron was standing at the counter getting her tea ready, while Ginny and Fleur stood cutting vegetables, and Charlie sat at the table peeling potatoes. Ginny gave her a quick look, smiling at her. She was glad not many had noticed her arrival yet, but knew she'd be expected at dinner.

"How are you dear?" Mrs. Weasley questioned giving her a bright smile. She looked to the woman trying to return the smile, "I'm fine Mrs. Weasley." She lied, hoping she wouldn't notice. "That's good dear." Thankfully she didn't, but she did see Ginny give her a look, she hoped she wouldn't say anything about it. Ron came over handing her the tea, "Ello 'Mione." He said giving her a quick side-hug before running off to the living room, where she could hear a loud conversation going on. She sipped the tea, glad for the warmth, though she didn't like it as it had neither milk nor sugar in it.

"You'll of course be rooming with Ginny, you can go unpack now, and dinner will be in a few hours." Mrs. Weasley said before hurrying away to check on the food. Hermione quickly headed for the stairs passing by the living room she saw the rest of the Weasleys along with some of the Order, sitting and going over some plans. She didn't feel like it now but she'd have to ask about it all later, she could guess they were talking about Harry. Whatever it was, she'd have to be involved, she was of age and refused to be left out. Harry would be there in a few days and then they could start making plans of their own, maybe get a few things sorted out about the mission.

She opened the door to Ginny's room, stepping inside and closing the door behind her. It was small room with pink painted walls; one wall was taken up with large windows giving a nice view of the orchard and storm outside, another wall had a few posters hung up. There were two beds, a bedside table, and a dresser. Taking her shoes off, she set her handbag on the bedside table. Feeling emotionally and physically exhausted she decided to take a nap, she fell onto one of the beds and closed her eyes, quickly falling asleep.

She slept for a two hours before being woken by Ginny; she opened her eyes, confused for a second of where she was, before remembering. "Hermione, dinner will be ready soon." Ginny said walking into the room, when she saw Hermione lying in bed she got a confused look on her face. "Why are you sleeping, are you ok?" Hermione quickly set up, getting out of bed. "I'm just tired, I'm fine." Ginny crossed her arms, looking unconvinced. "Are you sure, you seem like something's wrong." Hermione went over, getting her shoes back on. "I'm sure." Ginny sighed, walking out of the room.

Hermione quickly brushed her hair and made herself look presentable, before getting ready to go down. She could hear all the noise downstairs, and from the sound of it even more people had arrived for supper. Double checking her glamour charms, she took a deep breath and walked out of the room. The noise got louder as she descended down the steps, and she hoped she would be able to eat and then go back to Ginny's room quickly. She got to the bottom of the steps, she looked around, seeing who was there.

She saw Tonks and Remus sitting closely on the living room couch, with Mad-eye looking out the window at the storm. Mundungus stood staring into the fireplace, and Kingsley was having a discussion with Mr. Weasley. Mrs. Weasley was at the stove watching over the pots, and Ginny checked things in the oven. Fleur and Bill got down dishes, while Charlie set the table. Ron was trying to sneak some food, and the twins were suspiciously nowhere in sight. The door opened and Hagrid ducked his head through, loudly saying his hellos.

As he moved out of the doorway another person stepped in, and Hermione's breath caught in her lungs. Minerva McGonagall pulled out her wand as she cast a drying spell over herself, before putting it away and looking up. When she caught sight of Hermione her face lit up, she quickly made her way over to her smiling the whole way. Hermione returned the smile; it was the first real one of the day, she wanted to run to the women and embrace her. She restrained herself though, and waited for the woman to reach her.

As soon as Minerva reached her they both threw theirs arms around each other, "Minerva I didn't know you'd be here!" She said as the hug ended, "I wanted it to be a surprise." The women said facing her, her green eyes sparkling. Hermione looked her over; she wasn't wearing her glasses or hat tonight, she wore a loose dark green outer robe and tight black inner robe. "I'm so glad to see you my dear." Minerva whispered her voice thick with emotion. Hermione threw her arms around the women again, squeezing her. Minerva quickly returned the hug, holding her close. Hermione closed her eyes inhaling the sweet scent of the woman, she smelled like ginger newts, parchment, and mint.

They pulled away as Mrs. Weasley called everyone to dinner, smiling at each other as they walked to the table together. They sat side by side, and talked to each other throughout the meal. As everyone retreated to the living room after dinner, Minerva pulled her into the small scullery beside the kitchen. Closing the door and casting calloportus, to lock the door, and muffliato, to make sure they wouldn't be heard. She turned to Hermione; she had a serious and sad look in her eyes.

"How did today go, did you erase their memories?" She asked gently coming closer. Hermione looked down, tears welling up again. "I did." She whispered, leaning into Minerva's shoulder. "I'm so sorry, I should have been there." She said wrapping her arms around her. Hermione started to cry, "There's nothing to apologize for, I had to do this by myself." Her tears slowly started to form a wet spot on Minerva's robes "No, you shouldn't have had to do it on your own." She could feel Minerva start to cry with her, and she pulled them both to the floor.

They went silent for a while, just holding each other. Finally Hermione looked up at the woman; Minerva took her wand out again and cast a spell to remove the glamours on Hermione's face she'd forgotten about. She laid her head on the older woman's shoulder, enjoying the closeness. "Minerva, please forgive me." The woman pulled back with a questioning look, "Whatever for?" Her eyes lowered "For asking so much of you, and making you promise me things no one should have to promise." She looked into the woman's eyes. "You must understand I only wanted to make sure my parents would get their memories back." Minerva pulled her close, giving the top of her head a quick peck.

"I overreacted. You talking about death made me remember death is a possibility for us in this war. It scares me because you are right, you could die, we both could. That's something I don't like to think about, I like to keep my hope that we will see the end of this. I do understand, and forgive you. But try to always have hope, please darling." Hermione nodded, so glad she'd been forgiven. "I'll try." She whispered. They leaned towards the other slowly coming closer, the air feeling thick with emotion. Both women were looking between each other's eyes and mouths, and Hermione couldn't breathe. Suddenly a huge bang came from the living room and they both jumped, up wands out and at the ready.

Running out of the small room, they arrived in the living room. At the sound of laughter they relaxed, realizing it was just Fred and George pulling a prank. Putting her wand away Hermione silently cursed them for ruining whatever had been about to happen. She thought they'd been about to kissed, but didn't know if that's really what would have happened. She looked at the woman who was already staring at her, with a strange look on her face. Did she suspect her feelings, what was she feeling?

Not long after people slowly started to leave, all thanking Molly for dinner. Minerva was among the last to leave, she stood saying her goodbyes, walking to the door. Hermione followed her. "Will you be here for the wedding?" the woman turned to her. "Of course, and I shall see you then. Goodbye my dear." She squeezed Hermione's shoulders before turning away and opening the door.

"Bye." Hermione called before she closed the door behind her, she moved to the window to watch the women disappear. Soon after she retired to bed, laying there for hours with one question going through her head, 'Could Minerva McGonagall ever feel the same?'

_**Well this chapters longer than the last, if you have any comments or questions feel free to PM me. I hope you like this chapter, please review! -Fae **_


	7. Getting Harry

_**AN: I'm glad you all liked the last chapter, and I'm so sorry I haven't been updating! A lot of the stuff in this chapter is from the books so instead of going into too much detail I kind of skimmed through the parts you may already know.**_

_** Sorry if that wasn't clear, but yes, when Hermione erases her parents memory it is a bit like it was in the movie.**_

_**Disclaimer: Hermione Granger and all the other characters in this story belong to the wonderful JK Rowling. I make no money off this story **_

Hermione was currently standing in Ginny's room, getting ready. It was her fourth day at the Burrow, and if everything went as planned Harry would be there in just a few short hours. She put on her jacket and slipped her shoes on, thinking about her time at the Burrow. The days since she'd arrived had been long ones, and she'd been having trouble keeping herself together. Every night, as soon as Ginny fell asleep, she would get up and walk through the fields surrounding the house and cry. She'd yet to be caught doing this, or at least no one had said anything about it.

Ginny and Ron had caught on to her strange behavior immediately though, and she could tell they were worried. They'd tried talking to her, and while she did appreciate their concern she really wasn't ready to tell them what was bothering her. After a day full of them both persistently pushing her she eventually reached the point where she lost it and started yelling, telling them she just wanted some space. They'd backed off but had continued to remind her they were always there for her if she ever needed anything. They weren't the only people in the house to notice her behavior though, pulling her hair into a pony tail she thought of the head Weasley woman.

_The day after her arrival Hermione decided she would just stay in Ginny's room all day, as she did not feel up to being around the others. She sat beside the window reading a book, relieved she'd made it through the morning not seeing anyone besides Ginny, but as soon as lunch was ready Mrs. Weasley had burst into the bedroom and told Hermione she had five minutes to be at the table or else she'd bring up plates and eat with her. After giving her one last look she'd left as quickly as she came, Hermione had quickly gotten ready and was in a seat in less than two minutes. Molly sat by her during the meal and filled up her plate, making sure she ate enough. After she'd finished Hermione had been planning to escape back upstairs, but as she stood to leave Molly asked if she would be a dear and help her clean up. _

_Hermione helped clear the table and washed the dishes, working quietly beside Mrs. Weasley. As they worked Molly had casually questioned her on the mission, momentarily throwing her off for a second as she didn't know how the woman knew anything about it, she'd calmly answered what she could without giving anything away. The woman had quickly dropped the subject, a little annoyed, but had quickly returned to her normal, happy, self. It had freaked Hermione out just a bit, but she could understand why the woman would want to know. They had continued cleaning up as if she'd never said a word._

_They finished soon enough, and with nothing else to do she asked if there was anything else she could help with. Molly had given her a bright smile, one she tried to return with a small one of her own. They'd worked together most of the day cleaning and cooking, and after dinner they sat outside, both drinking lemonade as Hermione read. _

Out of the rest of the household she was at the moment closest to Mrs. Weasley, probably because Molly doesn't try to make her talk about what was wrong. Instead she was very accepting, she understood Hermione needed time and was willing to wait till she was ready. And even though it had been strange to her at first she really thought they'd grown closer, and she hoped they'd continue being close.

She grabbed her wand and took a calming breath. It was almost time to get Harry. She started towards the door but before she could reach it the door opened and Ginny stepped in, not saying a word they both headed down the stairs. As they reached the bottom Hermione looked into the kitchen to see Hestia Jones and Dedalus Diggle, two order members, leaving. As she reached the entrance to the living room she quietly slipped in with Ginny, there were fifteen other people standing and sitting around the room.

The tension of the room was thick, they were all preparing for a battle. The thought made her stomach twist and her palms sweat. Bill, Fleur, Arthur, and Molly stood in a group whispering, while Kingsley and Mad Eye stood talking in front of the fireplace. Tonks and Remus were side-by-side looking out the window as the sun slowly started to set. Hagrid was sitting awkwardly on one side of a couch, which looked likely to break at any moment, while Mundungus sat on the opposite end.

Ginny crossed the room to go stand in the corner where three of her brothers, Fred, George, and Ron, were. Hermione quickly followed, feeling a bit awkward around all these people. As she came to stand with the group Ron scooted closer, giving her a small smile and squeezing her shoulder. She stood quietly as Mad Eye got their attention and paired them together. She was put with Kingsley and soon after she was heading out the door, and promising Mrs. Weasley she'd be careful.

The trip there went by fine, and it was so good to see Harry again especially since he was acting a little more like himself, it was the trip back that had been a problem. As soon as they were in the air they were being attacked from all sides, spells flying past, barely missing her, it had been chaos. She'd started firing out spells of her own, hoping to stun as many death eaters as she could. She'd nearly screamed at the sight of Voldemort flying past, though still confused when he'd vanished quickly. Hoping that was not a bad sign.

When they'd escaped all of their attackers they'd headed back to their safe house, and by the time they'd arrived at what she assumed to be Kingsley's home she was in a panic. They didn't know who'd made it or who'd betrayed them. As they waited for their portkey, a bent coat hanger, to be activate she paced through the dark living room they were waiting in. Kingsley sat in a corner watching as she walked back and forth for a few minutes before standing, leaving the room, and returning with a small dose of calming potion that he forced her to drink. He sat back in his chair to wait again as she also took a seat, letting the potion take effect. And finally, after what seemed like an eternity to them both, the portkey was ready. They grabbed on and soon disappeared.

Appearing in the yard of the Burrow she ran to Harry as he came out the kitchen door and caught him up in a tight hug, happy to see he was alright. Lupin followed behind him and she watched as both Kingsley and Remus pulled out their wands, Kingsley asked Remus a question and she let out a breath as it was confirmed there were no imposters among them. She felt sick as she was relayed the news of what had happened to George, she watched as Harry's expression darken at the mention of Snape and as he quickly retreated back into the house. She also discovered they were only the third group back out of seven, and she stood beside the others as they watched for the rest of the groups, hoping they were all safe. And, for the second time that night, she was left to wait, worried and in the dark.

The minutes passed slowly until finally Mr. Weasley and Fred appeared, both running in at the news of what had happened to George. Tonks and Ron arrived soon after, coming in fast on a broom. She ran to Ron as soon as they'd landed, hugging him tight, Harry soon join in and she pulled back smiling at the two. They joined the others and she listened as everyone told their part of what had happened that night, Kingsley left not long after and they all returned to waiting. The arrival of Bill and Fleur also brought the news of Mad Eye's death, and though she'd never been close to the man she was still sad to hear he was gone. Seeing as how everyone was there now they all moved indoors.

They gathered in the living room, all squeezing in around each other as Bill sent glasses of fire whiskey their way, they gave a toast and drank. She sipped at the drink, enjoying the numbing burn. The day had gone by in a blurred rush, and she was glad it was almost over. She sat back and as everyone talked, and listened as Harry stood to tell them they all would have to trust each other. She silently agreed, but knew it was easier said than done. She watched, sipping at her still almost full glass, as Remus and Bill headed out to retrieve Mad Eye's body.

After they left the others had started to quiet down, things were settling down when Harry suddenly decided he leave. Of course she and the others had immediately objected and after yelling at them he had left out the kitchen door, she looked to Ron and they both moved to follow after him. They caught up to him in the fields, were he'd been having a vision, it scared her knowing Voldemort had access to her best friend's mind. And it really needed to stop.

They quietly returned to the house, slipping back inside Ron let everyone who was still there know they were back before heading upstairs with Harry. She grabbed her fire whiskey and heading back outside, she sat in the garden beside the house. She laid back and looked up into the clear night, it was a warm and she could hear the slight rustle of the wind through the tall grass. A small pop, which she identified as apparition, startled her. She grabbed her wand, wondering who it could be, and as she sat up to look the dark figure turned towards her and started walking to her fast, as they got closer she suddenly recognized the mystery person to be none other than Minerva McGonagall.

She got up and was pulled into a tight hug which she returned just as tightly, she was thrilled to see the woman though very much confused about what she was doing there. She pulled back looking Minerva up and down, her hair was in a long braid thrown over one shoulder and though she was wearing a plain red outer robe Hermione could see green night gown under it, it was obvious the woman had either been sleeping or had been about to. "Minerva what are you doing here?" She whispered, hoping the others wouldn't hear her.

"Well I just spoke with a slightly drunk Hagrid, and he told me what happened tonight. I had to come make sure you were alright." Hermione blushed, "I'm fine Minerva," She raised an eyebrow, giving the woman a confused look. "But I thought you knew we were getting Harry?" Minerva shook her head, a frown on her face. "I knew the order would be moving Potter to a safe house sometime soon, but I didn't know the exact date or how they would do it. I am a bit annoyed I was not informed of this plan though."

"Well I think the only people who knew where those directly involved, and since you're so busy with Hogwarts they probably didn't want to bother you." She said running one hand up and down Minerva's arm while the other one squeezed her shoulder. Minerva sighed, "Maybe, but I'm still going to have to talk with Remus and Kingsley about it." They both slowly sunk to the ground, sitting side by side. Hermione picked up her glass of fire whiskey taking a few sips and leaning into the woman beside her, putting her head on Minerva's shoulder and sighing.

She could feel Minerva's eyes on the top of her head, and then the woman reached one arm around her, pulling her closer to her side. As Hermione took another sip of her drink the woman gently took the glass from her lips, bringing it up to her own and downing it all in one gulp. She looked up at the woman watching as she licked her lips and looked down at her, staring into her face. Minerva quickly leaned down and kissed her forehead, and then looked up at the twinkling stars. Hermione closed her eyes and sighed, enjoying their silent closeness, slowly giving in to the exhaustion she felt.

She awoke the next morning in her bed in Ginny's room, wondering for a moment how she had gotten there before realizing Minerva must have brought her up. This realization made her feel warm and as she remembered the time she'd spent with Minerva the night before she, for the first time in days, smiled a real, genuine, smile.

_**Once again I am so sorry for the delay, but the good news is that now that it's summer I should be able to update more frequently! Yay! -Fae**_


	8. The Wedding

_**AN: Sorry about the delay, I haven't been feeling very well. I was in the E.R. with a broken nose and an injured neck, and I've had a lot of doctors' appointments since then. This has all been distracting me, but I've been feeling better so I thought I really needed to get this posted.**_

Hermione woke up to the realization that it was finally the day of Bill and Fleur's wedding. The sun was just beginning to rise through the sky as she got of bed, hoping to get to the bathroom before anyone else, and quietly made her out of the room and through the house. She brushed her teeth and hair before jumping in the bath tub for a shower, with so many people in the house she would have to be quick. Fleur's parents and sister, Gabrielle, had arrived just two days ago, making the house so full that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were forced to sleep in the living room. It had all been very stressful, and she was glad the big day had finally arrived. As she stood under the water she let her thoughts drift, thinking about just how hectic things had become since Harry's arrival.

Mrs. Weasley had gone into overdrive, wanting the house to be perfect, and had forced everyone to work hard until it was immaculate. Molly also asked her about their plans anytime they were working alone, Hermione always gave the same answer every time, but the woman was persistent. Molly was still polite to her, but Mrs. Weasley did seem to be getting frustrated. Molly had been doing the same with the boys, and she was thankful that Ron had yet to crack under his mother's constant questioning. She was hardly ever around the boys so they couldn't talk about any of the things she'd thought of for the plan.

Hermione was sure Mrs. Weasley was trying to keep her and the boys apart, and though that should probably annoy her, she was actually a bit glad that she did. She'd been trying to be more open with the boys whenever they did get time together, even going so far as to tell them about erasing her parent's memories. She knew she would have to say something eventually, and it was better to get it out now rather than while they were on the mission. When she had gotten a little emotional afterwards Ron had rushed to her side with a hug and a handkerchief, at the time she'd been too focused on trying to stop the tears to notice, but looking back his actions had been rather uncharacteristic of him. After giving it more thought she realized Ron had been acting strange around her the past few days, and the only explanation she could come up with for his behavior was that he must have a crush on her.

He would come put his arm around her or give her random hugs that lasted a bit too long for her liking. He would give her compliments at every opportunity, something he'd never done before, and she had caught him staring at her more than once. She didn't want to embarrass him as she knew he would cover it up with anger, and she didn't want things to become strained between them during the trip. And though she didn't exactly like the reason behind it but at least he was being nice to her. So she allowed him to continue doing these things, trying to avoid him when she saw it coming. After the war she would tell Harry and him both the truth, hopefully they would understand and they could all still be friends.

After finishing her shower Hermione quickly toweled off, putting on light purple button down shirt and a pair of tan shorts, knowing it would be awhile before she had to change into her dress for the wedding. She headed back to Ginny's room, noticing the younger girl was only just waking up. She made her way across the room, grabbing her bag before she sat on her bed. She waited until she was alone before she pulled the copy of _The Tales of Beedle the Bard _out of the bag, having only received it the day before. She still didn't know why Dumbledore had left it to her.

She read through it quickly, seeing if she could find anything hidden in the pages, but knew it was hopeless. If the Ministry couldn't find any hidden messages in thirty-one days she doubted she would find anything in one. With a sigh, she put the book back in her bag and stood, walking over to the mirror. As she fixed her hair she looked at her reflection, her curly honey brown hair had light brown highlights in it and she was getting a light tan from all the time she'd been spending outside. She looked at the dark circles under her milk chocolate colored eyes, evidence that she was still having trouble going to sleep.

With the house full of people, and time until they were to leave coming up, she was no longer able to walk outside at night through the fields surrounding the Burrow. Instead she would sneak through the house gathering things they would need or reading through her many books, trying to make sure they'd at least be ready to leave. Finishing with her hair she pulled out her wand, thinking about casting a glamour charm before shaking her head. There would be people at the wedding that would notice, and if she tried covering it up they would more than likely say something. But there was one witch she knew would say something either way, Minerva McGonagall.

She was excited for the chance to speak with Minerva. She'd seen the woman almost every day since the night Harry had arrived, but Minerva's short visits were always about Order business. And after tonight she wasn't sure when she would get to see the woman again. She alone would have so much stuff going on, but with only a month until Hogwarts starts back Minerva would also be very busy. It was going to be hard, that she was sure of, but all this just made her more determined to enjoy tonight while she could.

Ginny entering the room brought Hermione out of her thoughts, she was still standing in front of the mirror but she quickly moved over so the other girl could get ready. Grabbing her hand bag she left the room going down the stairs, it was around eight o'clock and she was sure there would be others up by now. Mrs. Weasley was in the kitchen making breakfast, while Monsieur and Madame Delacour were both sitting at the table. Molly looked up and gave her a bright smile. "Morning dear, breakfast is almost ready you can get a seat at the table." She smiled back and sat at the opposite end of the table from the Delacours.

Soon breakfast was ready and the whole household was sitting around the table eating. Everyone was smiling and laughing, Hermione could feel the joy in the air, and she felt happier than she had months. When she was done she went outside, the weather was perfect, sunny and warm. Walking back into the garden she settled beneath a tree, watching as Charlie, Mr. Weasley, and the twins walked out to the orchard to set up a marquee. As she watched her exhaustion finally caught up with her, and her eyes slowly drooped closed.

Hermione was shaken awake by Ginny, and opening her eyes she noticed the smirk on the red-headed girls face. At first she was confused wondering what was going on before realizing she'd fallen asleep. "What time is it?" Was her first question, she'd have to be down at the wedding by 3:20 and she still needed to change into her dress. "12, you've been asleep for about two hours, and you look like you needed it too." It was true, and she did feel a little less tired after her short nap. Stretching she stood, "Well lets go get ready than."

Grabbing Ginny's arm she pulled the other girl inside and led the way up to the girl's room. She put on her short lilac colored dress with sleeves that went down to her elbow, and matching high heels. Putting on her jewelry she had a diamond and silver necklace and earrings. Turning to Ginny she saw the girl was wearing a short, sleeveless, golden dress with matching flats, and a simple gold necklace and earrings. Walking over to Ginny, who was standing at the mirror putting on makeup, she joined her.

Hermione kept the makeup light, as she hardly ever used it and didn't really like it much. But she did end up using foundation to cover the dark circles under her eyes. When she was finished she noticed Ginny looking at her in the reflection, "You look great 'Mione." The girl said with a smile. "So do you Gin." She said returning the smile, "We better go help everyone else get ready now." Ginny nodded and they quickly left the room.

After making sure everyone dressed and ready Hermione made her outside to the marquee. After talking with Harry, Ron, Fred, George, and, surprisingly, Viktor Krum the ceremony was about to begin. She made her way up to the second row of golden seats, quickly finding the one reserved for her, and sat. Harry sat to her right and after a quick look at the empty end seat on her left she realized she would be sitting beside Minerva McGonagall. Worry immediately over took her, where could she be?

With only a few minutes left until the wedding began Minerva finally took the seat beside her, she let out a breath, relieved that the woman had made it. Looking her up and down she saw Minerva was wearing tight black dress robes, and her hair was in a loose French bun. "Where were you?" Hermione whispered. The woman looked at her, her whole face lighting up. "There was something at Hogwarts I had to attend to, but I'm here now so no need to worry my dear." Minerva grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze.

Behind them the twin leaned forward. "Look who it is Fred." George said to his twin, who turned to Minerva, giving her a wink. "How are you McG?" Minerva turned around with a scowl, though Hermione could see the humor in her eyes. "Of course, I get stuck with you two behind me, how grand. But I am fine, thank you. And if you would please refrain from calling me that it would be much appreciated. Now if would both hush up I believe the ceremony is beginning." The twins leaned back in their seats with a laugh. Hermione knew the woman wasn't being serious.

The next second people started making their way down the aisle until suddenly music filled the air. Hermione turned in her chair to look as the bride walked the aisle, and she sighed, Fleur looked beautiful. Throughout the whole ceremony she was holding back tears. It was all just so lovely and perfect. As Bill and Fleur said their 'I dos' Hermione tightly held Minerva's hand, and looked up to give the woman a radiant smile.

As they all stood to applaud their seats rose and float over to surround white-clothed tables, the walls of the marquee vanished, and a dance floor appeared. Ron and Harry started walking off to find a table and she turned to Minerva. "I'll come find you in a minute." She waited for confirmation from the woman before rushing after her friends. They had found a seat with Luna Lovegood and she joined them.

Viktor Krum had sat down with them after a few seconds and Ron had quickly asked her to dance, looking around and not seeing Minerva she decided she had enough time for one dance before she got back to the woman. Ron dragged her to the dance floor, looking a bit irritated. She knew Ron was jealous of Viktor, though the most she'd ever done with the man was go to a dance with him. She of course wasn't attracted to him, she knew he understood that, and he would respect her wishes of not wanting to pursue a relationship. She wished Ron wasn't so oblivious to her discomfort of his advances, but no the man was blind and thick-headed.

To her misfortune the music was a slow tune, and Ron, not being much of a dancer, immediately stepped closer, putting his hands on her hips. She quickly put space back between them, placing his hands on her shoulders, and putting her hands on his sides. Ron's face showed his confusion, but he shrugged it off. The dance was awkward, a huge gap was between their bodies and they were both mostly quiet. Ron kept stepping on her toes, turning scarlet, and mumbling out an apology.

A few minutes into their dance someone behind Hermione loudly cleared their throat, turning she saw Minerva standing there looking slightly amused. "May I please steal Hermione from you Mr. Weasley?" the woman asked as Ron quickly looked down at the floor, blushing. "Uh…yeah, I guess." Hermione's hands dropped and she gave Minerva a quick smile as they walked away, relieved to have been saved from Ron.

They went through the crowd and away from the marquee, ending up in a clearing far enough away from all the noise of the reception. Their only light coming from the moon and the distant party, Minerva stood looking out over the land. Wildflowers were in full bloom under the light of the moon and at the other side of the clearing she could hear the faint sound of a small stream bubbling. Hermione stared at the woman in front of her, Minerva was absolutely stunning. Her pale skin and dark green eyes glowed in the moonlight, and the warm summer's night made her cheeks slightly flushed.

Hermione held Minerva's hand, rubbing slow circles in the palm. The woman turned towards her, wrapping her up in a tight hug and taking a deep breath in her hair. And despite the warm night air Hermione felt shivers going up and down her spine, the closeness of the other woman making her breath quicken. "How have you been dear?" Minerva whispered into her ear, making the shivers start anew.

"I'm great, though it's been quite a busy week." Minerva smirked, "Yes, I can only imagine all that work, but you do look very beautiful tonight." Hermione blushed, "Thank you, as do you." The older woman gave her a smile before becoming a more serious. "How much longer will you be staying with the Weasleys?" Sighing she replied, "I believe this will be my last night at the Burrow actually."

"Where will you be going?" Hermione leaned into the woman, frowning at the question. "I'm not even sure. We haven't been able to plan much of anything since we've been here." "Avoid any place associated with Potter, and try to stay away from places with a lot of people." Minerva said, giving the top of her head a peck before pulling back. "So were you enjoying that dance with Weasley?" The woman asked with a smirk, "Not at all, thank you for saving me from it. Ronald cannot dance at all, the only thing he can do is sway from side-to-side!" Minerva laughed at this shaking her head. "I could see that and it is was no problem dear, but perhaps you would like to dance with someone who actually can?" Hermione's eyes widened at the question. Was Minerva asking to dance with her?

"Yes, that would be nice." Minerva led her back to the edge of the marquee, where a nice waltzlike tune was drifting through the air. Minerva took one hand in her own and put her other on Hermione's back while Hermione put her other hand on Minerva's shoulder and they started a slow waltz. Minerva spun them around in circles, and they glided across the floor, moving with the music. And as the song came to a close they held each other a moment longer before parting.

"That was incredible, thank you for the dance." Hermione said in wonder, Minerva grinned down at her. "It was my pleasure darling. Shall we go find a place to sit at?" Hermione smiled and nodded. "You can go ahead and find a table and I'll get us some food and drinks." Minerva said walking towards the small tables filled with snacks and refreshments. Hermione spotted Harry sitting at table alone and decided to go see what he was doing.

On her way there she bumped into Ron, "Hey 'Mione have you seen the butterbeers? I can't find them." She pointed over to the refreshments table. "Oh, thanks. Want me to get some for you too?" She shook her head starting back on her original course. She noticed Viktor Krum storming away from the Lovegood, what was that about? She sat next to Harry, she took off her shoes, her feet were sore from all the walking around and dancing she'd been doing in heels.

Harry didn't seem to be listening to her as she talked to him. "Harry, are you okay?" Suddenly a bright silver lynx flew into the middle of the dance floor, and Kingsley Shackelbolt's voice came from the Patronus. "The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming." Hermione jumped up with her wand in hand, ready to fight. She grabbed Harry's hand and they started running through the crowd, searching for Ron. She watched as death eaters arrived, panicking as the seconds ticked by and she still hadn't found Ron or Minerva.

And then all of sudden Ron was there and Hermione knew they had to leave, turning she started to apparate away. The last thing she saw was Minerva's worried face as the woman ran towards her, and then it was all gone. It was dark and all she could feel were Ron and Harry's hands in hers, they had gotten away hopefully to somewhere safe. But did Minerva?

_**Sorry again for the delay, and hopefully I don't fall and break my face anymore this summer. Oh, and Happy Fourth of July to any of my fellow Americans, hope it's great! -Fae**_


	9. Sneaking into the Ministry

_**AN:**_ _**I just skim through the part from the books.**_

_**Disclaimer: I still don't own any of the characters in this story.**_

Hermione was worried. It had been weeks since she had last heard from Minerva, and she was afraid something had happened to the woman. She and the boys had arrived at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place almost a month ago, and since then they'd been spending all their time planning. When they'd arrived it had only taken the Weasleys a day to send them a weasel patronus message while Minerva's cat patronus message, telling her a date and time for a meeting, had taken a week. And by that time Hermione had been in a full out panic.

Xxx

A few days after she'd received the message she'd cast the spell, at the time and date given to her, to open their mental connection on her end and waited for Minerva to also cast the spell. When the other woman came into view Hermione immediately noticed how tired she looked, Minerva's green eyes were dull despite the smile of relief on her face, her robes were creased and her usually perfect bun frazzled. They'd talked about what had happened after Hermione left the wedding, but as they spoke Hermione still felt worried, she'd never seen Minerva so tired looking before. The meeting lasted no longer than ten minutes, and Hermione had been saddened to say goodbye. When she'd canceled the connection Hermione had stayed sitting where she was for a while, wondering what was wrong with Minerva, she had a feeling the woman had not told her everything.

Xxx

That meeting had been the only time she'd talked with Minerva, and she hadn't heard from the woman since. This was the longest amount of time they'd gone in between meeting, and as the days went by Hermione was getting more and more worried. She knew that the woman was busying with her duties at Hogwarts, and it would be a few more weeks before they could set up another meeting, since the school year had only just started that day. She sighed as she thought of Hogwarts, it was strange to known there were students on their way to the school at that exact moment. The sound of the front door opening brought Hermione out of thoughts, Harry must be back.

Hermione was sitting at the cluttered kitchen beside Ron. They'd been going through all their information on the Ministry before she'd gotten lost in her thoughts, and looking at Ron she could tell his mind was also wandering. They'd been studying through their information, it was important since they were planning on sneaking into the Ministry in a few months. Elbowing Ron she snapped him out of his dazed, they both looked up as Harry came into the downstairs kitchen saying he had news. Walking over to where they sat he threw down a newspaper.

Snape's picture was on the front page under a headline that read, 'Severus Snape confirmed as Hogwarts headmaster'. Hermione looked at the newspaper with a loud gasp. She picked up the paper reading through it in disbelief, but to her horror it was true. She ran from the kitchen with a quick "I'll be back" to the boys. She headed up the stairs to the room she'd been using for the last month. Entering the room she locked the door and took out her wand, pointing it at her head. With a whispered "Minerva McGonagall" the connection opened on her end.

Darkness filled Hermione's sight as she silently hoped Minerva would open the connection. She knew the woman would be busy making sure everything was ready for the students, but she had to talk to Minerva and find out what was going on at the school. After a few minutes she was about to give up and cancel the spell when Minerva's face suddenly came into view. Minerva was wearing heavy black robes with her hair up in a perfect bun, but Hermione could also see the dark circles under the woman's eyes. Minerva looked as though she had aged ten years, she seemed ghostly pale and her face was gaunt.

"How are you dear is something wrong?" Minerva asked worriedly, "I'm good Minerva, but I've just read the Daily Prophet. What is going on, are you ok?" Minerva sighed, rubbing her hands over her eyes. "As you have probably already guessed, the school has been taken over by You-Know-Who. Snape is now headmaster and there are two new professors, both of whom are death eaters. I'm fine though, just a bit exhausted. I'm terribly sorry for not contacting you. With all the madness going on here I don't have time for anything but work."

As Hermione opened her mouth to answer there was a sudden knocking sound coming from Minerva's end. "I'm sorry my dear but I must go, the students will be arriving soon and I have to welcome the first years. I will talk to you again soon though, I promise." Raising her wand Minerva cut the connection. As her room in Grimmauld Place came into view again she sign, and walked out of the room.

After grabbing the portrait of Phineas Nigellus Hermione ran back down to the kitchen. Grabbing her bag she squeezed the large frame down into it before sitting back down with the boys. They sat talking about their days as they ate. Harry had been watching the Ministry while she and Ron had been studying their notes and maps. "I think we should go to the Ministry tomorrow." Harry said suddenly, interrupting something she had been saying to Ron.

She turned to Harry, shocked at the suggestion. "What, tomorrow? You can't be serious Harry!" They talked about it, going through what they would do, until they finally had everything planned. By the time she had finally gone to bed it was late, but as she laid there trying to sleep she found herself wide awake. All the things that could go wrong were rushing through her head, and it was making her nervous.

After a short sleepless night, they quickly apparated to the Ministry and set their plans into motion. But soon after sneaking in they were separated, and she was forced to follow Umbridge to the court chambers. Disguised as a woman named Mafalda Hopkirk she sat watching as Umbridge interrogated witches and wizards whose bloodlines were questionable. As they were one by one taken away she began to shake, if she hadn't gone into hiding she would have also been questioned and taken away.

Hermione felt ill as she sat beside the toad, trying to record everything that was said. She jumped as she heard a whispered "I'm behind you." Though she quickly relaxed when she realized the voice belonged to Harry. The sat there for a bit longer before Umbridge suddenly leaned forward and they caught a glimpse at what they had come here for. After that madness broke loose as Harry took out his wand, pointing it at Umbridge and causing her pass out.

Crouching down beside the awful woman Hermione snatched the Horcrux from Umbridge's neck. 'But she'll notice… ' Hermione thought with a frown, taking out her wand she copied the locket, and with a look of disgust she put the duplicate on the toad. Running down to join Harry she pointed her wand at the woman Umbridge had been questioning, and released her. "Hermione, quick, cast your patronus!" Looking around she could see they were surrounded by dementors, the creatures were only being held back by Harry's stag patronus.

Trying to think the only thing that came to mind was her meeting with Minerva from the previous night. "Expecto pa-patronum," She said raising her wand, only a small cloud of silver mist came from her wand. Closing her eyes she thought back to the wedding, remembering Minerva's arms around her as they danced, she let the joy of the memory swell. "Expecto patronum!" She yelled.

A small silver cat burst from her wand, gracefully leaping through the air to join Harry's stag. She gasped turning to Harry who looked just as surprised as her. Her patronus had changed, and she automatically knew why. The last time she had cast the spell was her fifth year, and since that time her feelings for Minerva had grown. Her patronus had changed into something that represented her feelings for Minerva.

As they made their escape they'd found Ron, "They know we're here Harry, we probably don't have much time left." As he told them his news her patronus disappeared. They made it up to the Atrium, and as their cover was blown they barely made it into the fireplace. She grabbed Harry and Ron before disapparating away, but as she thought of Grimmauld Place she could feel a third hand grabbing her arm.

They landed on the front step of number twelve, and Hermione screamed as she saw it was Yaxley holding on to her arm. She cast a jinx on the man and disapparated again. Thankfully he had let go, but as the darkness surround her again she panicked and the only safe place that came to mind were the woods beside where the last Quidditch World Cup had been. She landed hard on the forest floor, laying there for a second she opened her eyes, the trees seemed to be swirling above her. A groan to her left caught her attention, turning her head she saw Ron lying face down on the ground.

Slowly crawling to him she almost threw up at the sight of his blood soaked side, she looked up as Harry came to Ron's over side, she could see the concern on his face. "What happened?" He quietly asked. As she worked on Ron she explained where they were and what had happened, she was sad that they'd be able to return to Grimmauld Place. When she finished taking care of Ron she stood, "I'll put up some protective enchantments." She said, going to work.

Once the area was secure and she'd set up a tent she finally put away her wand and helped carry Ron into the tent. When he was settled into a bunk she made them all tea, the warm drink calmed her. "Well, did you get it? The locket, that is." She nodded handing it around. She was glad to let someone else hold it, the knowledge of what lived in the locket made her cringe.

They all talked a bit before setting up watch, she took over for Harry as the sun set, letting him get some sleep before it was his turn again. She sat outside the tent thinking of Minerva, wondering if the woman already knew that they'd sneaked into the Ministry. If not she was sure the next day's Daily Prophet would arrive with their pictures on the front page, but would Minerva contact her? Every sound from the surrounding woods kept Hermione wide awake with her wand in hand. Late into the night, after having kept watch for several hours, she woke up Harry trading spots with him as he walked outside, and as she snuggled under the bunk's blankets she quickly drifted off.

The next morning they decided it'd be safer to move on, they disapparated to the edge of a small town after packing the tent and removing any evidence that they'd been there. Hermione had been working on setting everything up when she suddenly felt a strange tingling in her head, Minerva had opened the connection, but sadly she was too busy to talk with the woman. After a few minutes the feeling went away and she sighed, hopefully she would be able to talk to Minerva later.

They ended up moving again, this time into a field beside a farm, when Harry had discovered dementors in the town. She had also taken the locket from Harry, freeing him from his bad mood. She set up all the protective charms before going off to find them some food. She took bread and eggs from the farm, only because she knew they really did need to eat. After they ate she checked to make sure Ron was still healing, and then she'd taken over the watch.

Pulling out her wand she opened the connection, and waited. It was 10 PM so she was pretty sure the woman would be up, but not busy. Minerva appeared, lowering her wand and with a huge smile on her face. It seemed that she'd been preparing for bed, her long, dark hair was down and she was wearing a loose nightgown. "Hermione, thank goodness, I thought you had been captured! Are you okay dear?"

Hermione smiled, happy to see the woman. "I'm fine, though we did have to abandon Grimmauld Place." She said with a frown, telling Minerva what had happened. It felt as though it had been years since she'd last seen the woman, so many things had happened. "Dear, why didn't you tell me you three had been planning this?" Minerva asked with a scowl.

"I'm sorry Minerva, I would have told you beforehand but I didn't even know we were going to until right after we had spoken the other night." She knew she should have tried to tell the woman, but there just hadn't been any time. Minerva gave a sigh, bringing her hands up to rub her temples. "Just promise me that next time you're about to do something dangerous you'll at least try to tell me before you do it." Hermione nodded, giving her a small smile. "Of course, though hopefully there won't be a next time."

Minerva shook her head, "If only my dear, but I know with Potter there is always a next time. Just be careful until then." Hermione knew it was true. There were still a lot more dangerous situations to go until they could end this. "I'll try. So how are things going with you?"

Minerva's expression turned into one of anger. "Severus and those Carrows are terrorizing the entire school. They're beating children and teaching the dark arts. It's an outrage! The only thing keeping me from attacking the three of them, and quitting, is my duty to Hogwarts and the students."

Hermione was shocked. She had not known how bad things at Hogwarts had gotten. "What! Why are the parents not sending their children off to another school?" Minerva shrugged, "Some parents don't have enough money to send their children off to a school in another country, or don't want their child to be too far away from them. Others are too afraid to send their children away or flee the country. And then there are the parents who want to pretend there is nothing wrong, and act as though everything is normal."

At Minerva last words Hermione became outraged. "They cannot just simply ignore the growing threat, and place themselves and their children in danger like that! It is ridiculous!" Minerva nodded her head in agreement and was about to say something else when Hermione suddenly heard the tent entrance opening beside her. "I have to go Minerva, but maybe we can talk again soon?"

"Of course, and until then please be careful. Goodnight my darling." She raised her wand, ending the spell. Hermione stood walking over to Harry, and taking off the locket. "Here you go, see you in a few hours." He took it, giving her a weak smile.

Hermione laid down in bed, listening as Ron snored, and trying to get comfortable. She was worried, thinking about what might happen next time they do something dangerous. Would they be able to escape next time? Would one of them get hurt again, and not be as lucky as they were this time? When she finally did manage to fall asleep her dreams were filled with nightmares.

_**Hope you liked it, please review! What do you think will happen next? -Fae**_


	10. Hermione's Birthday

_**AN: Sorry to those of you who are getting impatient, I promise just a few more chapters till the trios time on the run is over, and as always thanks for your reviews!**_

Hermione had been sleeping when she suddenly felt someone shake her shoulder. She then heard Harry's soft voice, "Hermione, wake up." She opened her eyes immediately sitting up, worried. "What's going on, is someone hurt?" Looking over she saw Ron and Harry were both standing beside her bed, smiling at her.

Hermione relaxed, but was still confused about what was going on. "We made breakfast," Ron said with a large smile. Harry handed her a plate of sausage and burnt toast, while Ron handed her a cup of tea. Ron blushed, "Sorry 'Mione, I toasted the bread a bit too long." Hermione noticed no one was wearing the locket, and grinned.

"It's fine Ron, but what's this all about?" Harry grinned, "Your birthday of course, it's Friday the 19th!" Hermione gave them a surprised look, "Is it really? We've been so busy lately, I must have forgotten!" She sat her cup and plate to the side, and stood to give them both a hug.

They returned the hug tightly, and when she pulled away they smiled at each other. They ate breakfast together, and as she started getting ready to leave Ron quickly stopped her. "Since it's your birthday 'Mione we'll be doing all the work today." Hermione opened her mouth to protest, but was cut off by Harry. "Please, Hermione this is our gift to you, especially since we can't give you proper ones."

Hermione bit her bottom lip, a bit unsure. She nodded, and allowed them to do this for her. They packed and apparated to the edge of a small village, in the woods outside of the village they set up camp. As Harry set up the enchantments around the camp she sat on a nearby tree stump, she thought of Minerva and wondered what the woman was doing at that exact moment. She thought about contacting the woman later, it had been a week since they'd last talked and she missed Minerva.

The day went on and the boys continued to do everything, she felt a bit guilty, even if this was their gift to her. The sun was setting as Harry made dinner, and Ron had gone to the village to pick up a few things. Walking over to the kitchen area inside the tent Hermione peered over Harry's shoulder, trying to see what it was he was cooking. "What is that Harry? It smells absolutely divine." Harry looked back at her, giving her a smile.

"It's carrot and fresh coriander soup, and it's a pretty simple recipe. Aunt Petunia used to have me cook it for her sometimes." As he mentioned his aunt his eyes narrowed for a second before he shook his head, turning back to the pot of soup. Hermione gave his shoulder a squeeze, knowing how much Harry disliked the Dursleys. "I never knew you could cook Harry! Where in the world did you get all the ingredients though?"

"Ron and I have been collecting everything for a week or so now, but don't worry we left money." Hermione's eyes watered, touched by how long they'd been planning this for her. The boys could be so sweet and kind sometimes, she was lucky to have them as friends. She knew tomorrow they'd all go back to wearing the locket and trying to find Horcruxes, so she would enjoy this while she could. Now if only Minerva would open the connection, things would be perfect.

Harry turned around leaning against one of the tents poles. He gave her a nervous look, running his hands through his hair. "Hermione there's something I've been meaning to ask you about." She raised an eyebrow, and crossed her arms. "What is it Harry?" He looked down at the ground, avoiding her gaze.

"At the Ministry, when you cast your patronus, it was different. I remember in fifth year it was an otter, but now it's a cat." Hermione started to panic as Harry went on. "And the only time I've known someone's patronus to change is when they fall in love…" Harry trailed off there, slowly looking up at her.

Hermione stood there, not knowing what to say, blushing. "Uh…" She didn't know whether to lie or run, but at the moment she seemed unable to do anything. Harry grinned as he walked over to her. "Well who is it then?"

"Umm..." It was as though she had forgotten how to talk, she was so nervous. He threw his arm around her and gave her a reassuring smile. "Oh come on, you can trust me Hermione, it's not like I'll think any differently of you." She thought about it for a second, hoping he was telling the truth. "Ok, fine." She took a deep breath, and with a trembling whisper she said. "I-I'm in love with…M-Minerva."

Harry's eyes widened, "Minerva as in Minerva McGonagall?!" Hermione nodded, she was so anxious that she shaking. Harry rubbed his chin, a thoughtful look on his face. "I guess it makes sense, I mean, you two have always been close." She felt as though she might pass out.

"You're ok with it?!" Harry gave her a surprised look, laughing. "Of course I'm ok with it! I don't care who you're with, as long as you're happy I'm happy, but why didn't you tell me before now?" Hermione breathed a sigh of relief, giving Harry a tight hug. "Thank you so much for understanding, I was so afraid you wouldn't, that's why I didn't tell you. You're actually the only person I've told."

Harry returned her hug. "Even if I didn't understand it wouldn't change anything, you'd still be my best friend. And don't worry, I won't tell anyone unless you want me to." Hermione laid her head on his shoulder, enjoying the moment. "Thank you Harry."

At that moment Ron entered the tent, in his hand was a small paper bag. He narrowed his eyes, looking between them. "Won't tell anyone what?" Hermione pulled away from Harry. She couldn't tell Ron yet, she knew he would have a bad reaction. "Nothing Ron, don't worry about it. Now come on you two, let's eat." At the mention of food Ron immediately dropped the paper bag down on the table and ran over to the stove to get some soup.

When they were done with their soup Ron handed the bag to Hermione, opening it she pulled out a small loaf of carrot cake. "Thank you, is this what you went into town for?" Ron nodded, they watched as she cut out three pieces of the cake. Before they could even get a bite though Harry stood, walking over to their supplies and pulling out a candle. Sitting back down he held it out to Ron who pulled out his wand and lit it.

He then handed it to her while he and Ron started to sing Happy Birthday, blushing the whole time she waited for the song to end. When it did she closed her eyes and made a wish, 'I wish I could see Minerva.' She then blew out the candle. The boys cheered and clapped before eating their cake. She sighed, hoping her wish would come true, and feeling ridiculous for it. She ate her piece slowly, watching the boys smiling and talking, the locket put away and unable to ruin the moment.

That night Hermione took the first watch, though if the boys had had it their way she wouldn't have kept watch at all that night. But she had insisted this time, wanting some time to herself. As they slept she went over to the tree stump she had been sitting on earlier that day, taking out her wand, she pointed it out in front of her, and thought about Minerva. "Expecto patronum" She whispered watching as a silvery cat leapt out from her wand tip, it pounced around playfully before coming to sit in the air in front of her. But as she reached out towards the cat it disappeared, and she was left in the dark.

Hermione laid back on the stump, looking up at the dark sky, the moon was mostly covered by the tree tops. She suddenly felt a tingling in her head, and quickly sat up pointing her wand to her head. Everything went dark and blurry before coming back into focus. Minerva was sitting in her armchair by the fire, her hair was in a side braid thrown across her right shoulder and she was wearing green and white pinstriped pajamas. The woman lowered her wand with a gentle smile on her face.

"Happy Birthday my dear, how was your day?" Hermione grinned thinking back on how great the day had been. "It was wonderful Minerva, though it would have been even better if you had been here." They both blushed at her words, they had come out a little more flirtatiously than planned. "You know I would have been there if it were at all possible Hermione, but, even if I had not had classes to teach today, it would have been too suspicious for me to leave without reason."

"I know Minerva, but it's just hard going so long without seeing you, I miss you so much." Hermione's face heated up again, it seemed she couldn't contain her feelings at the moment. Minerva gave her a sad smile, "I miss you too dear, and even though I can't be there in person right now just remember that if you ever need someone to talk to I will always be here for you." Hermione smiled widely at Minerva, and had the woman been there Hermione would have been holding her in a tight embrace.

"Thank you and I hope you know I'm here for you too." Minerva gave her a quick nod, and pulled out her wand. "Well my love, I do believe it is getting late and even if tomorrow is Saturday I must still be up early. Happy birthday and goodnight." Minerva ended the connection and Hermione sat in shock, she had never heard the woman call anyone her love before.

Hermione sat frozen for almost thirty minutes, before slowly standing up. 'Did Minerva return her feelings?' She entered the tent, and shook Ron awake so that he could take over the watch. The man grumbled, got up, and put on the locket before heading out. Hermione hardly noticed any of this though, she made her way over to her bed and laid face down into the pillows deep in thought. All in all her eighteenth birthday had been great, Harry knew about and accepted her love for Minerva, the boys had been nice the whole day, and her wish had come true. She eventually settled down and fell into a peaceful sleep, her dreams where filled with Minerva.

_**Tell me what you thought. I've been working on some ideas for the past week, but I don't plan on posting any new stories until I finish Hermione and the Mirror (Which I have decided to eventually continue). -Fae**_


End file.
